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After a phenomenal rookie season in Italy in 2007-2008 playing for Cantu, Wood has been hampered severely by a knee injury, sitting out a big chunk of last year and electing to start off the 2009/2010 season at home. That doesnt exactly sound like the credentials of a top overseas free agent, which means hell be clearing room for someone else. With his quickness, basketball IQ and perimeter shooting ability, its not out of the question that we see him back on here considering that hes only 24 years old.

Wood has his worst showing of the camp today, struggling at times to run the team, largely due to the tendonitis in his knee he suffered from. His game seems to be much more effective in the transition game at this point, where he pushes the ball up the floor whenever the opportunity is available. Offensively, Wood created a number of nice mid-range looks, but they just werent falling for him today. The ability to hit pull-up jumpers and floaters will help him in the half court offense in the NBA, and he can create these types of looks at will. Dashaun Woods natural leadership abilities were once again on display today. You can always hear him directing his teammates on the floor and offering words of encouragement during dead balls. Despite his struggles today, Wood had a nice week here in Orlando, and he certainly has a chance to be drafted with successful workouts leading up to the draft.

After previously having played quite a solid camp up until this point, today Dashaun Wood had a slightly worse showing than some might have expected considering the momentum he had coming in. Although he scored 15 points and did not turn the ball over even once, Wood certainly over-dribbled excessively numerous times down the floor, looking for his own shot a lot more than he probably should have considering his role on the floor. This aggressiveness did get him into the paint repeatedly this game, showing a great handle creating his own shot and going to his floater again and again. He took four NBA 3-pointers in this game, but only hit one of them, an area hell probably have to show more of once private NBA workouts kick off next week. Some good things he did do included the leadership skills he displayed calling together his teammates for a huddle in dead-ball situations, as well as dong a good job pulling up off the dribble from mid-range. A lot of players would gladly accept a 15 point performance as their worst showing so far, but we know that Wood is capable of doing a lot more based off what weve seen in the past/

Everybodys favorite player at Portsmouth, Wood has continued his outstanding play in Orlando. With his teammate James appearing tenative with the other rotation, it was impossible not to notice the way Wood changed the game by pushing the tempo and getting everybody involved. Wood didnt score a ton of points in this one, but put on a clinic in how to make every decision you make a positive one. He never once let off the throttle when he was in the game.

Despite the lack of size, Wood picked his spots well and found ways to get to the basket. He missed a couple of full-speed drives by the slightest of margins, or else his point total would look a bit better as well. He barely even looked to show off his outside shooting stroke, which had been deadly in the drills. Wood did a great job of playing under control at such high speeds, and has to have moved up the list for any team looking to draft a backup point guard in round two.

The MVP of Portsmouth started right where he left off at the NBA pre-draft camp as well, making some phenomenal plays immediately as competitive action kicked off. Wood ran the show with utmost confidence, finding players unselfishly, making great reads, handling the ball on a string, and getting into the paint at will with his combination of quickness and smarts. He hit some extremely difficult shots on the run today, at one point knocking down a 10 foot running floater with Jamal Tatum wrapping him up, and then on another stepping in one off foot from 14 foot and kissing a tough look off the glass.

Regardless of his scoring, the best part of having a player like Wood at the camp is the fact that he almost exclusively looks to make everyone around him better. He was excellent in transition today, making great reads, and showing excellent court vision.

The MVP of the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and our personal favorite from the camp as well obviously hasnt missed a beat since we last him in early April. He was the most dominant player on the floor in the 5 on 5 pickup game in day one (alongside players like Corey Brewer, Martell Webster, Kirk Snyder, etc), controlling the flow of the game like only a true point guard can and making everyone around him better in every opportunity he had. He showed absolutely terrific court vision and set the table wonderfully while running the show with his excellent leadership skills.

Wood is a true competitor and floor general who doesnt back down from anyone, despite his size. He succeeded in the rare task of getting a group of players who were just assembled on the fly to execute half-court plays, be unselfish and look like a real team, particularly with the work he did on the pick and roll, where he shows fantastic timing and patience.

When the opportunity was presented to him, he also knocked down shots from 3-point range and got into the paint thanks to his terrific first step, finishing craftily around the hoop (with either hand) in transition especially. There was a lot of value in seeing him in a setting like this alongside other excellent players, as he confirmed what we already suspected in the fact that hes an NBA caliber athlete.

Wood is clearly in excellent physical shape in anticipation of attending the pre-draft camp in Orlando. He received his invite in between the two days we were in Carson, and was clearly in good spirits after being informed of the good news.

The biggest question mark about himhis sizeis not something hell be able to dispel no matter how he does in Orlando, but he does play very tough defense, which is extremely important to NBA coaches who often have biases against smaller point guards. Wed like to see him develop a better floater to help him finish in the paint against bigger and more athletic players than he faced here and in college, but he does have an excellent pull-up jumper he can utilize from mid-range to help him compensate.

While this might not have been quite as impressive a game as his previous two outings, Wood played extremely well once again, helping his team win the PIT championship, while locking up tournament MVP honors for himself. He did a terrific job running his teams offense, scored some timely baskets, and really showed outstanding leadership skills in the clutch by taking them on his back and shouldering plenty of responsibility. This whole week was really an inspiring performance by the extremely underrated point guard from Wright State, who only got in because some better prospects decided to cancel.

In terms of his playmaking, Wood did an excellent job running the show. His team was by far the most unselfish here, recording 31 assists out of 43 made baskets, and Wood was really the catalyst behind that with the example he set for how things should be run. He was extremely patient throughout, letting everything come to him rather than forcing the issue, and making his teammates look very good by constantly creating easy shots for them. He did it with a combination of terrific ball-handling skills and hesitation moves, keeping his defender on his heels constantly with his excellent perimeter shooting ability and outstanding quickness to get into the lane almost whenever he pleased at this level.

Woods passing ability was on full display, whether with a series of drive and dish plays, some terrific lobs into the post, and a couple of perfectly timed bullet passes in transition for easy baskets. Wood clearly had the best awareness of whats happening around him of any of the point guards here, and its become incredibly obvious that he was not able to fully show just how talented a playmaker he is in college because of the huge scoring burden that was put on his shoulders at Wright State.

This has obviously made him a much more versatile player, though, as instead of just being a phenomenal point guard or a fantastic scoring combo, he can do both very well. If left open for even a second, Wood shows no hesitation knocking down jump-shots with 3-point range. He can also get to the basket and finish amongst the trees in a variety of ways off the glass (runners, floaters, pull-ups, etc), although he clearly needs to improve his left hand. His toughness is exemplified in the fact that he averaged over 5 rebounds per game despite being a skinny 5-11.

The two weaknesses we could identify had to do with the player he was matching up against, Jamaal Tatum. Wood had some problems in the first half adjusting to the incredibly tough defense that Tatum played on him, as he is bigger and quicker than him and just absolutely relentless. Later on in the game he seemed to adjust very well, though, taking Tatum off the dribble on a number of occasions and getting to where he needed on the floor. In fact, it was two baskets he created while being matched up with Tatum late in the 2nd half that really secured the victory for his team, making him fall down with a phenomenal crossover and then dishing off wonderfully for an assist on one occasion, and then taking him strong all the way to the hoop for a gorgeous floater with contact off the glass plus the foul.

The other concern to come out of this game had more to do with his lack of size and strength. He had some trouble getting through the screens that were set on him, and was beat off the dribble on a few other occasions by the quickness that Tatum has at his disposal. Not being particularly tall or long, its not clear how well hell be able to contest the shots of the bigger guards in the NBA that he potentially could match up with, but to his credit we must say that Wood plays just as hard on the defensive end as he does on offense.

All in all, this couldnt have been a better week for DaShaun Wood. He did virtually everything in his power to show that he can play in the NBA, and surely locked up an invite to the Orlando pre-draft camp in late May. Many will question his size, but he wont be the first player to make it at 5-11 ½, and obviously wont be the last. Something that can never be questioned is the size of his brain, heart and cojones.

Dashaun Wood continued his stellar performance here at Portsmouth, where he is the frontrunner for the MVP award by a huge margin at this point. Theres really not much new to say about Wood from this game, as he basically replicated everything he did in the previous game, dishing out assists, scoring from behind the arc, getting into the lane, finishing at the rim, pulling up from mid-range, and doing just about everything you can expect a point guard to do, except stand taller than 511, which is really his only major weakness.

With more extensive viewing of Wood, some things have become a bit more clear about his game. He uses his body extremely well on the defensive end for one thing, always getting up in his defenders face and having the lateral quickness to go step-for-step on most occasions. While not possessing a great deal of bulk in his upper body, hes very fit and functionally strong, as he doesnt get pushed around on defense and he draws contact very well on offense. He also managed to block two shots today, despite being three inches shorter than everyone he defended. On one block he followed his man step-for-step down a drive in the lane and got up high enough to swat down his lay-up attempt.

On both ends of the floor, Woods awareness of everything going on is especially impressive, specifically that of the spacing on the floor. Defensively, Wood recognizes passing lanes and switches extremely well, making him a strong defender of the pick-and-roll, and he always gets into the right position to deny the first option for the opposition. Offensively, he does a really god job of waiting for openings in both passing and driving, using hesitation dribbles to anticipate the perfect timing for a lane to open, after which he usually drives through or puts through a perfect bounce pass to his teammate. Woods ambidexterity is also very impressive, as he makes as many drives going left as he does right, looking equally comfortable at both. He also does a good job changing hands once in the lane, using crossover extremely well, usually combined with the hesitation dribbles he loves to use to get his man off-balance.

Woods making more and more of a case for the NBA each day here, and hes a virtual lock for the Orlando camp at this stage, where he will have the opportunity to show if he can maintain this level of play against higher competition. While not yet securing himself a draft pick yet, Wood has played himself into discussions, and hell undoubtedly get a chance in summer league, where he can make his case for being a third-string point guard or maybe even a second-stringer. If he doesnt make it in the NBA, he should have a very successful career in Europe with his high intangibles, understanding of the game, and more-or-less complete package at the point guard position.

Dashaun Wood undoubtedly had the most impressive performance here in Portsmouth on Day One, and a few days ago, he wasnt even going to be invited here. Lucky for him, many players withdrew their names from the tournament, and he was chosen as an alternate.

Wood played a tremendous game in both scoring and distributing the ball, while also playing solid defensively as well. He scored in the game both by getting to the hole and shooting from behind the arc, looking equally impressive in both regards. In shooting from behind the arc, Wood scored both by pulling up and spotting up, looking very impressive pulling up, exhibiting excellent body control and consistent form while on the move, keeping his accuracy up even while moving at high speeds.

In taking the ball to the hoop, Wood showed the ability to drive with both his right and left hand, and he changes directions and speeds extremely well to take his defender off balance. Wood went in and out of the defense effortlessly all game long, finding seams to dribble through and then quickly finding seams to make a pass through, making quick and smart decisions consistently. Wood looked a lot quicker in person than he did the last time we saw him, in his NCAA tournament game, which we viewed on television. He looked especially impressive with his ability to accelerate quickly after making turns or coming off a screen, allowing him to easily get the first step on his defender.

Woods floor management and passing in the game were perhaps more tremendous than his scoring, as he dished out beautiful assists both in the halfcourt and transition, finding the seams in the defense and threading the needle on more than a handful of occasions. He kept all of his teammates involved and his team ran their plays to near perfection when he was on the floor, looking nothing like a team thats only been together for a few hours. Wood finished well at the hole, though most of his opportunities were uncontested after he got the first step on his man, and he didnt show off any extremely creative moves around the hoop, though he didnt necessarily need to, as he got the job done efficiently scoring the way he did.

Defensively, Wood played strong, in-your-face defense for most of the game, using his relatively strong frame for his size to throw the opposing ball-handler off balance and keep them from getting to the hole from stand-still isolation situations. Wood played the pick-and-rolls exceptionally well, always making the right reads and keeping the ball-handler from getting to the hole while also not giving enough space for the open shot. He communicated well with his teammates on pick-and-roll plays and displayed excellent awareness of how to defend the play that is a staple of most NBA offenses. Wood did show some struggles in some areas defensively, though, struggling when chasing his man off screens without the ball and also struggling to get in front of his man in transition, often losing the first step early and not being able to recover.

At 511, Wood faces an uphill battle in trying to make it in the NBA. He doesnt really remind of any current back-up point guards in the NBA, so its tough to make a projection or comparison for his potential, though he could probably make a case that hed be as good or better than some teams third options, if he continues up the stellar play hes shown here at Portsmouth and in his sole NCAA tournament game. Wood has a lot of things going for him, and size aside, he possesses the complete package one looks for in an NBA point guard, with the quickness and driving ability, outside shooting ability, passing ability, court awareness, and the wherewithal to balance all of these skills as a point guard should. It will be very interesting to see Wood in the remainder of the Portsmouth tournament as well as in Orlando, which he should absolutely be invited to if he continues anything close to his current level of play. While a bit early to talk about the second round in the draft, Wood should definitely get an opportunity to make some teams in summer league, where he could find a role as a third point guard, possibly even elevating to a second-string point guard over time.

511 senior point guard Dashaun Wood had a pretty strong game to finish off his college career, though it wouldve looked a lot better on paper had his teammates finished more of the open looks he created for them.

Wood doesnt bring as much quickness to the table as you would expect from a small point guard, but he makes up for it with plenty of craftiness. He can get into the lane pretty well when he wants to, but is at his best when coming off a high screen to get early separation. He didnt finish all too well in the lane in this game, though he used some creativity to adjust his lay-up attempts when defenders got in his way. Woods nicest play of the game was an isolation that began about 18 feet from the basket where he smoothly went from a crossover to spin move right into a floater from about seven feet away.

Wood was at his best when he was looking to create for others, showing good passing skills in every way imaginable within a half-court set. He was hitting cutters on the baseline and through the lane, hitting shooters off curls from long and mid range, feeding the post, driving and dishing, and just making smart passes to open teammates behind the three-point arc. While he did net seven assists on the game, he probably made about 10 passes leading to wide open missed shots as well, which is evidenced by his teams poor 33% shooting on the game. Wood showing excellent court vision in making many passes right through the seams of the defense, making many of those passes while on the move.

Wood also hit a couple of threes on the game, where he is a decent shooter at .375 on the season. His form is solid and his release quick, though he pushes forward a bit on his shot. Wood turned the ball over four times on the game, mostly due to not protecting the ball on the perimeter, as opposed to making bad passes.

On the defensive end, Wood netted four steals, but showed problems when guards attempted to drive on him in isolation situations, not making quick lateral movements and letting his man drive by him.

Wood is likely headed for Europe next season, where he should be a highly sought after commodity thanks to his combination of scoring and passing abilities. He looks like a strong candidate to play at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, but hed have to really impress to get into NBA discussions. It would be interesting to see how his passing game will flourish with better shooters on his team, which he will hopefully get the chance to at the PIT. Theres also always the chance that after a few years in Europe he could improve his game to the point where an NBA team would take a flyer on him as a third point guard in a role similar to Darrick Martins current role on the Raptors.